Broad Foundation donates $25 million to create new stem cell institute at USC

Gift to support construction of new 215,000 sq. foot facility - largest stem cell research facility in California

Los Angeles, Calif., Feb. 23, 2006-The University of Southern California announced today it has received $25 million from The Broad Foundation to create the Broad Institute for Integrative Biology and Stem Cell Research at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. The 215,000-square-foot facility will be the largest stem cell research center in California.

The new Broad Institute will be the pivotal hub for integrative biomedical research on USC's Health Sciences Campus, bringing together researchers, biologists and equipment in one place as they investigate the causes and treatments of a wide spectrum of diseases.

"This will hopefully be the anchor of a new biomedical corridor in the region, where the nation's most cutting-edge research is conducted by some of the brightest minds in science," said Eli Broad, founder of The Broad Foundation.

"For many years the Broads have been the driving force behind programs that promote health and well-being, enhance cultural and educational opportunities, and support urban and economic revitalization. We are very fortunate that Edythe and Eli have the vision to see what needs to be done, the generosity to make it possible, and the will to make it a reality.

"Their contribution is a strong vote of confidence in the quality of the research programs at USC, and ensures that Southern California will remain the world's center for biomedical technology and the life sciences."

The Broad Institute will include the newly created Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine, a multidisciplinary initiative comprised of researchers from the USC Health Sciences and University Park campuses as well as from Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. The scientific teams will pursue basic research in regenerative medicine and will work with teams from the California Institute of Technology and other regional scientific institutions to develop novel platforms in imaging, bioengineering and nanotechnology for application to stem cell research. The stem cell scientists at the Broad Institute and their associated researchers will also work to translate this basic research into useable new therapies for a wide variety of diseases and conditions.

The Broad Institute will reach beyond the realm of stem cell biology as well. In addition to the 18 new investigators from the Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, the 215,000-square-foot structure will house another 18 prominent basic and clinical investigators engaged in interdisciplinary research in transplant biology, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes and other metabolic diseases. Approximately 16 computational or clinical scientists whose work is critical to a successful translational research program will also be located in the Broad Institute. The institute will have a state-of-the-art imaging facility and a biotechnology transfer center that is expected to become an essential resource for researchers and for the entire Keck School of Medicine community.

"This institute is important to the Keck School, particularly at this time, as the National Institutes of Health launches an initiative to support clinical and translational research," said Keck School of Medicine Dean Brian E. Henderson. "Our view now is that, in order to solve complex biological problems, scientists must move beyond the confines of their own discipline and explore new organizational models for team science.

"This institute represents a major step forward in our research on diabetes and heart disease in addition to housing our growing stem cell and regenerative medicine program," he added.

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The Broad Foundation was founded by Eli and Edythe L. Broad as a Los Angeles-based venture philanthropy focused on entrepreneurship for the public good in education, science, and the arts. The Broads have also founded the Broad Institute in Cambridge, Mass., a partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University and its affiliated hospitals, and the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, to use the power of genomics to understand human disease. The Broad Foundation's Internet address is www.broadfoundation.org.

Founded in 1885, the Keck School of Medicine of USC is a major center for basic and clinical biomedical research, especially in the fields of cancer, gene therapy, the neurosciences and metabolic disease. The school today has more than 1,100 full-time faculty members and a voluntary faculty of more than 3,700 physicians. These faculty direct the studies of approximately 650 medical students and more than 400 students pursuing graduate degrees. The school's postgraduate programs provide training for 1,300 residents fellows and interns annually.

The Keck School of Medicine has meant better health for people around the globe in all fields of medical care. Through 14 affiliated hospitals, USC physicians serve more than one million patients each year. Hospitals staffed by USC physicians include USC University Hospital, USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and Hospital, Doheny Eye Institute, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and the Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center, one of the largest teaching hospitals in the nation.

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